PHCEBUS (bright), 0 d-bus (see APOLLO).
PHcENICE, ,kle-/21-CO, or PHCENICIA, plutni a mountainous coast country of Asia, extending from the Eleutherus on the N., a little below the islet Aradus, to PelusTum on the S., and having Syria on the E. and the Mediterranean on the W. ; its chief cities were Tyre and Sidon. The Phoenicians were highly civilized at an early period, and to them the inventions of arithmetic, navigation, astronomy, glass-making, and coining are as cribed. From their alphabet the Greek was borrowed, whence sprang the alphabets of modern Europe. They were great traders, and planted many cities on the shores of the Mediterranean, as Carthage, Hippo, Utica, &c., and came as far west as Bmain (Cassi terides) in search of tin. Phcenice was suc cessively brought under Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Macedonia, and Rome, and was by the latter made a part of the province Syria ; it was originally governed by kings, but its cities afterwards became republican. It was named from Phoenix (2).
Pricurtx,3hd-nix. r. Son of King Amyn tor, of Argos, and Cleobtild (or Hippodamia).
mother persuaded him to gain the affec tions of his father', concubine Clytia, and when he succeeded in this his father cursed him and blinded him. Phoenix fled to King Peleus, of Phthia, who procured the restora tion of his sight by the centaur Chiron, and made him preceptor of his son Achilles, and gave him the sovereignty of the Dolopes.
Phcenix went with Achilles to Troy, and, on the hero's death, went to bring his son Pyr rhus (Neoptoldmus) to the war, and with the latter returned to Thrace, where he died, and was buried at tEon, or near Trachinia, where a small river was called the Phcenix. 2. Son of Agenor, was brother of Europa (q. v.), in search of whom he was sent by his father, with orders not to return unless he found her. His search being fruitless, he settled in the country, named from him Phoenicia. 3. A fabulous bird. According to the legend in Herodotus, it came from Arabia to HeliopOlis every Soo years, but, according to later legends, it was art Indian bird which re appeared at the end of periods of 1,461 years. The Phcenix was of the size of an eagle, and had its head finely crested with a beautiful plumage, the feathers on its neck gold coloured, and on the rest of its body purple, while its eyes sparkled like stars. According to Herodotus, it brought its father's body to the temple of the sun ; according to others, it built itself, when old, a pile of aromatic wood and burnt itself; and from its ashes arose a worm, which in time grew up to be a Phcenix.